Missionary Dan Email #22 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s twenty second email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

Independence Day in Mongolia. Daniel center.

Independence Day

Looks like the parade was cool — we had our own little one at the American embassy. We went there on the fourth of July and had a party. They had hamburgers and hot dogs which is the classic meal for that day. I saw some of the elders from my MTC group and got a picture. It was transfers that day also and I got a new companion. His name is Elder Henson, he is from Michigan and is really cool. We have a lot of things in common and he has taught me a lot of things already. It is helpful for me to have him explain parts of the language and give some tips and advice. I actually knew him well before because his apartment is basically in the same place as mine and we talked about stuff.

My new area is just across the street from my last one. It is a new ward though. It is great. I knew some of the people in my new ward already since they meet in the same building as my last ward. I see all the members of my old district at church too so it doesn’t really feel like I moved.

My old companion’s eye is great. He just has bad eyesight. The language is coming, I am doing the best I can and Elder Henson has already helped me a lot. I’m getting to the point where I can understand most things and can figure out what I want to say pretty easily. The Lord has richly blessed me with it.

This Saturday is Nadam, which is a huge holiday in Mongolia. So we’ll do the best we can but most people are busy. We do get to attend it so I’ll get some good pictures.

To Mom

Thanks mom. I actually enjoy the sheep potatoes and rice. It is good food here. I honestly can’t think of anything that you could send that I need. The Hawaiian fruit punch mix was good. It doesn’t seem worth it to pay a lot of money to ship it over here though, when I could just buy things with the money it would take to ship it. Skittles would be good, I haven’t been able to find those. Can you wait until my next letter before you send the package? Love you mom have fun on your trip!

Love, Elder Willoughby

Mormon Missionaries in Mongolia. Daniel, back row far right.

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Comments

I’m working on a poverty-reduction project in the Ger District of Ulaanbaatar. I’m there now and would like to learn more about the District in detail. If you’d be willing to chat briefly about your experience here it would be an enormous help to me so please send me a msg or better yet a call: 95168752

Hi Sina,
I am Daniel’s Dad. I will be happy to pass your request on to Daniel. As a missionary he is allowed one email a week to family. He emails on a Monday. He is not permitted to make phone calls but I will ask him to respond in his email home and then I will post what he writes here.

Perhaps you have done this already but if you choose “Daniel” from the categories it will list all his emails. Maybe those will contain something you can use. The poverty-reduction project you speak of sounds very interesting. Perhaps you could post or send me more details, for example, what part do you play in it?

Daniel, as a missionary, helps people in Mongolia by teaching them the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ will lift the people out of poverty as they keep His commandments and implement principles of self-reliance and service in their lives. I am a convert from England (now living in Utah) and have gone through the same process in my life.

Hi,
Sorry for the odd request, but I’d like to send a package of books to Mongolia, and am wondering if you have found an inexpensive way to ship things there. USPS was $41 for a small box! Yikes. Any help appreciated.

Jim,
Yours is a good question. My wife has shipped items to Daniel in Mongolia. I don’t know the details. Jill is out of town and I have emailed her asking her to respond to your question. So there may be a delay while she is traveling. The only information I have at present is from my blog post of 8th July 2008:

“It is expensive and sometimes unreliable to send packages to and from Mongolia. Parents sometimes send items which can be purchased here or which the missionaries really cannot use. Parents should be practical when considering items to send to you. Do not have them send expensive items. Missionaries quickly learn to be flexible and adapt to the conditions here. We have one special request for parents: When you send a package, it would be nice if you could include a card or even a small gift for the companion — it’s always fun to open boxes together and share the surprises.” Source: Mongolia Specifics

I am a Baptist Christian .I live in Persia .My profession is Enterprsie Systems Engineer .I have concealed my registered faith for 8 years as it is forbidden to convert to any other religion in Persia . Death is punishment for anyone who dare to covert .This was one of th ereasons of my conversion .
I didnt know anything about the Mormone faith when I wanted to take my decision .But incidentally through searching I envisaged the interesting concept of Mormone faith . Based on my studies I am interested in converting to Mormone faith ,but I dont know how the process is .Is it necessary for registration ? Is it needed to rebaptized ? or Is it needed to pass exam to check whther my faith is correct or not . I have checked all the LDS temples .But it seems that the temples dont work on internet communication technology . Is it a tradition ? Do I need to travel to Mongolia ? Is ther any formal temple in Mongolia ? Do I need to meet a temple or missionary ? Is there someone who can help and guiding me ?

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Who is this Rickety?

I'm Rick Willoughby. I live in Utah, a retired Software Engineer. I'm a Mormon, married with 5 children and 12 grandchildren.

I emigrated from England in my late twenties, bringing with me one small suitcase and a few dollars. I appreciate the opportunities America has given me and the friendliness of the people to new citizens.

I blog about my family as well as politics, religion, finance, technology, and other topics.